Harry Sullivan

HARRY
STACK
SULLIVAN
BRETANA
CASINO
CORDENILLO
INTERPERSONAL THEORY
his theory signifies the importance
of current life events and social
experiences in shaping the
personality of ones self
Tension
Dynamism
Personifications
Level of cognition
Developmental stages.
TENSION
Sullivan conceptualized personality as an
energy system, with energy existing either as
tension (potentiality for action) or as energy
transformations (the actions themselves).
TENSION
Needs
Needs can relate either to the general well-being of

a person or to specific zones, such as the mouth or
genitals
Anxiety
anxiety is disjunctive and

calls for no consistent
actions for its relief
DYNAMISMS
typical pattern of behavior.
DYNAMISMS
Malevolence
living among one's enemies.
close personal
relationship
Intimacy two
between
people of
equal status
is called
intimacy
DYNAMISMS
Lust
satisfied in the absence of an intimate

interpersonal relationship
pattern of
behaviors
that protects
us against
Self-System and
anxiety
maintains
our
interpersonal
security
PERSONIFICATIONS
Sullivan believed that people acquire certain
images of self and others throughout the
developmental stages, and he referred to
these subjective perceptions as
personifications
Bad-Mother, Good-Mother
The bad-mother personification grows out of infants'
experiences with a nipple that does not satisfy their
hunger needs. All infants experience the bad-mother
personification, even though their real mothers may be
loving and nurturing. Later, infants acquire a good-mother
personification as they become mature enough to
recognize the tender and cooperative behavior of
their mothering one. Still later, these two personifications
combine to form a complex and contrasting image of the real
mother.
Me Personifications
(1) the bad-me, which grows from
experiences of punishment and disapproval
(2) the good-me, which results from
experiences with reward and approval
(3) the not-me, which allows a person to
dissociate or selectively inattend the
experiences related to anxiety.
Eidetic Personifications
One of Sullivan's most interesting observations
was that people often create imaginary
traits that they project onto others. Included
in these eidetic personifications are the imaginary
playmates that preschool-aged children often
have. These imaginary friends enable children to
have a safe, secure relationship with another
person, even though that person is imaginary.
LEVELS OF COGNITION
A. Prototaxic Level
Experiences that are impossible to put into words or to
communicate to others are called prototaxic. Newborn infants
experience images mostly on a prototaxic level, but adults, too,
frequently have preverbal experiences that are momentary and
incapable of being communicated.
B. Parataxic Level
Experiences that are prelogical and nearly impossible to
accurately communicate to others are called parataxic.
Included in these are erroneous assumptions about cause and
effect, which Sullivan termed parataxic distortions.
LEVELS OF COGNITION
C. Syntaxic Level
Experiences that can be accurately communicated to
others are called syntaxic. Children become capable of
syntaxic language at about 12 to 18 months of age when
words begin to have the same meaning for them that they do
for others.
STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
STAGE
CHARACTERISTIC
Infancy (Birth-18 months)
Gratification of needs
Childhood (18 mo-6 yrs)
Delayed gratification
Juvenile era(6-9 yrs)
Formation of peer group
Preadolescence (9-12 yrs)
Developing
relationships
same gender
Identity
Early Adolescence (12-14 yrs)

Late Adolescence (14-21 yrs)
Forming
lasting,
relationships
within
intimate
IMPLICATIONS
This theory is implicated in taking care of a
psychiatric patient by studying the past
relationships that the patient and the type of
social community he or she was exposed to
before being admitted in a hospital. By doing this
the nurse will also have a clearer picture and will
be able to explain how the patient ended up in
the mental state he or she is currently in.
IMPORTANCE
- Provides the theoretical basis for interpersonal
psychotherapy for depression and
schizophrenia. When patients are depressed,
they likely to isolate themselves and avoid
social contact even with those who are trying to
help them. Since loss of contact with others
contributes to depression, we as nurses should
persist in attempts to talk with these patients,
by asking them questions, and actively
listening when they attempt to express their

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HARRY

Needs can relate either to the general well-being of

anxiety is disjunctive and

living among one's enemies.

satisfied in the absence of an intimate

Infancy (Birth-18 months)

Childhood (18 mo-6 yrs)

Juvenile era(6-9 yrs)

Formation of peer group

Preadolescence (9-12 yrs)

Early Adolescence (12-14 yrs)

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